Archologists Find First Ever Open Settlement of Primaeval Man - 2007

Group of Armenian and French Archologists Find First Ever Open Settlement of Primaeval Man

For the first time in Armenia a group of Armenian and French archaeologists has found a open Stone Age settlement in the territory of the National Park of Dilijan, Tavush region. The head of the group Boris Gasparyan says that the find is a planned and organized proto-settlement near the village of Kalavan on the right bank of the river Barepat. Last year archaeologists found in Kalavan early Bronze age graves with remarkable ceramic and metal articles. Deeper exploration revealed stone constructions, obsidian and flint quarries, primitive weapons, bones of animals with spearheads inside. Experts say that this may be not just one site but a settlement consisting of several Stone Age camps. The most remarkable finds are weapons of jasper, flint and obsidian - mostly spearheads, cutters and scrapers. Experts infer that the Kalavan settlers were hunters. They probably hunted goats and rams and processed their bones and skins. The radiocarbon and geo-morphological tests will show how primeval people lived there.

Source: Arminfo

Armenian-British Archeological Expedition Found First in Armenia Mesolith Monument Site of Neanderthals

A group of Armenian and British archaeologists will start diggings of Neanderthals' site in the karst caves of Ijevan mountain ridge, on the left bank of Agstev river in 2006. The group manager Boris Gasparyan told ArmInfo that the finding is the first mesolite monument for the whole Armenia. The so-called cave "Ovk-1" and the rocky shed "Ovk-3" were chosen for diggings. During the last year's reconnaissance investigations of caves, the archaeological expedition found sites of Neanderthals there. "We've opened several cultural layers during diggings and only after the seven layer's removal, we succeed to find a must layer, rich by bone remains and magnificent stone tools of Neanderthals", Gasparyan said. Four archaeological layers were fixed there in the punched reconnaissance hole. As Gasparyan noted, the last layer with the mesolite-typical microlite tools from obsidian is the most important. According to the preliminary conclusions of archaeologists, the Ijevan hollow and the Agstev river canyon were settled in the must epoch at the least (200,000-40,000 years ago). The scientists will start the main diggings on June 10. The archaeologists do not consider it appropriate yet to call the concrete age of findings, as the monument materials have to pass complex radiocarbon analyses.

Source: Arminfo